Bucs Coach Schiano Aiming to Use Pain For Gain

Coach hoping loss fuels team instead of breaking it.

Published: Monday, December 16, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at 12:42 a.m.

TAMPA | A day later, the Bucs were still trying to come to grips at how they let an opportunity to beat the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers slip away.

Although the game didn't go as planned through the first three quarters, Tampa Bay found itself within six points with 14:54 to go.

San Fran went on a 10-minute drive that ended with a field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bucs' trickery backfired when a reverse was fumbled and San Francisco returned it for a touchdown. The Niners got a late field goal to end the scoring.

"It comes down to execution at the end of the game," said defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. "We were right where we wanted to be. Coach (Greg Schiano) said if we were within a touchdown going into the fourth, we would win the game. We weren't able to execute in the end."

One play that haunts the team from the Niners' 10-minute drive was a third-and-12 from the San Francisco 29. Colin Kaepernick avoided pressure, rolled to his right and connected with Michael Crabtree for a 14-yard gain and a first down.

"That to me was the tipping point in the game," Schiano said. "Then we live to see a 10-minute drive. At that point, it might have been a minute and 40-second drive."

Nothing seemed to go right for Tampa Bay. The Bucs wanted to run the ball but only had 12 attempts for 39 yards. Three of the team's first four possessions were four plays or less, and the Bucs trailed 17-0.

But Tampa Bay was able to make the score 20-14 before the Niners closed the door. The team is 4-10 entering the final two games of the season.

Schiano hopes there is no carry-over from Sunday's loss.

"I feel that we got to use this to fuel our fire going forward this week," Schiano said. "This is going to be a huge week. Our guys put in a lot of preparation for this (San Francisco) game. We watched it, we flushed it, now we've got to move forward, otherwise the 49ers will get us twice, and we can't allow that to happen."

Right tackle Demar Dotson agreed.

"It hurts," Dotson said. "I still have the feeling in my stomach. We prepared well all week; worked hard all week. We had a good game plan, and to come short, it hurts. We have to put it aside."

In order for the Bucs to perform better in the last two games, they must be better offensively.

Tampa Bay managed just 183 yards of offense against San Francisco and is now last in the league in total offensive yards per game (283.7) and passing yards (178.1) per game. The last time they averaged less was 2006 when the 4-12 team finished averaging 270.1 yards per game, including 174.9 passing yards per game.

<p>TAMPA | A day later, the Bucs were still trying to come to grips at how they let an opportunity to beat the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers slip away.</p><p>Although the game didn't go as planned through the first three quarters, Tampa Bay found itself within six points with 14:54 to go.</p><p>San Fran went on a 10-minute drive that ended with a field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bucs' trickery backfired when a reverse was fumbled and San Francisco returned it for a touchdown. The Niners got a late field goal to end the scoring.</p><p>"It comes down to execution at the end of the game," said defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. "We were right where we wanted to be. Coach (Greg Schiano) said if we were within a touchdown going into the fourth, we would win the game. We weren't able to execute in the end."</p><p>One play that haunts the team from the Niners' 10-minute drive was a third-and-12 from the San Francisco 29. Colin Kaepernick avoided pressure, rolled to his right and connected with Michael Crabtree for a 14-yard gain and a first down.</p><p>"That to me was the tipping point in the game," Schiano said. "Then we live to see a 10-minute drive. At that point, it might have been a minute and 40-second drive."</p><p>Nothing seemed to go right for Tampa Bay. The Bucs wanted to run the ball but only had 12 attempts for 39 yards. Three of the team's first four possessions were four plays or less, and the Bucs trailed 17-0.</p><p>But Tampa Bay was able to make the score 20-14 before the Niners closed the door. The team is 4-10 entering the final two games of the season.</p><p>Schiano hopes there is no carry-over from Sunday's loss.</p><p>"I feel that we got to use this to fuel our fire going forward this week," Schiano said. "This is going to be a huge week. Our guys put in a lot of preparation for this (San Francisco) game. We watched it, we flushed it, now we've got to move forward, otherwise the 49ers will get us twice, and we can't allow that to happen."</p><p>Right tackle Demar Dotson agreed.</p><p>"It hurts," Dotson said. "I still have the feeling in my stomach. We prepared well all week; worked hard all week. We had a good game plan, and to come short, it hurts. We have to put it aside."</p><p>In order for the Bucs to perform better in the last two games, they must be better offensively.</p><p>Tampa Bay managed just 183 yards of offense against San Francisco and is now last in the league in total offensive yards per game (283.7) and passing yards (178.1) per game. The last time they averaged less was 2006 when the 4-12 team finished averaging 270.1 yards per game, including 174.9 passing yards per game.</p>